Istanbul Naval Museum

Istanbul Naval Museum
Istanbul Naval Museum
Map
Established1897; 127 years ago (1897)
LocationHayrettin İskelesi Sok.
80690 Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey
TypeNaval museum
Websitedenizmuzesi.dzkk.tsk.tr/en

The Istanbul Naval Museum (Turkish: İstanbul Deniz Müzesi) is a national naval museum, located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was established in 1897 by the Ottoman Minister of the Navy (Bahriye Nazırı) Bozcaadalı Hasan Hüsnü Pasha.[1][2]

The museum contains an important collection of military artifacts pertaining to the Ottoman Navy.[1] In the maritime field, it is Turkey's largest museum, with a great variety of collections. Around 20,000 pieces are present in its collection, including the late 16th or early 17th century Ottoman galley known as Tarihi Kadırga, built in the period between the reigns of Sultan Murad III (1574–1595) and Sultan Mehmed IV (1648–1687),[3][4] as evidenced by AMS radiocarbon dating and dendrochronological research.[4] She is the only surviving original galley in the world,[3][5] and has the world's oldest continuously maintained wooden hull.[6]

Being connected to the Turkish Naval Forces Command, it is also the country's first military museum.[7]

In the early 21st century a new exhibition building was constructed. The construction began in 2008, and the building was reopened on October 4, 2013. It has two floors above ground level and one basement floor, all covering 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft).[7]

The basement consists of diverse items like figureheads, ornaments of naval ships, ship models, and pieces of the Byzantine chain that was used for blocking the entrance of the Golden Horn during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453. In the first and second floors, a large number of imperial and other caïques are exhibited.

Many exhibition items underwent special restoration and conservation works due to deformation of the raw materials caused by heat, light, humidity, atmospheric conditions, vandalism and other factors.[7]

Access[edit]

Minister of the Ottoman Navy (Bahriye Nazırı) Bozcaadalı Hasan Hüsnü Pasha established the Istanbul Naval Museum (İstanbul Deniz Müzesi) in 1897.
Fragment of the Byzantine chain that closed the entrance of the Golden Horn during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453
The Byzantine chain that closed the entrance of the Golden Horn during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, with the original portrait depicting Mehmed the Conqueror's triumphant entry into Constantinople by Hasan Rıza (later re-interpreted by Fausto Zonaro, whose version is at the nearby Dolmabahçe Palace)[8] seen in the background.


The museum is located on Hayrettin İskelesi Street in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, near the Beşiktaş ferry pier for the Beşiktaş-Kadıköy line. The museum is open every day between 09:00 and 17:00, except for Mondays, New Year's Day and the first day of religious holidays.[7]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b The World of Learning 2004 by Michael Salzman p.1670
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2011-08-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ a b "The Historical Galley". denizmuzesi.dzkk.tsk.tr. 2021-11-24. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Liphschitz, N., 2014. The Kadirga galley in Istanbul – The Turkish Sultan's Caique: A dendrohistorical research. In: Environment and Ecology in the Mediterranean Region II (eds. R. Efe and M. Ozturk). Cambridge Scholars Pub. Pp.39-48. Cambridge".
  5. ^ "Cornucopia Magazine". www.cornucopia.net. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  6. ^ "Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation - Texas A&M University". nautarch.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  7. ^ a b c d "Main Page". Deniz Müzeleri. Archived from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  8. ^ "Gerçek ressamı bulundu". hurriyet.com.tr. Hürriyet. 6 July 2011.
  9. ^ Sondhaus, Lawrence (2001). Naval Warfare, 1815–1914. London: Routledge. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-415-21478-0.

External links[edit]

41°02′30″N 29°00′20″E / 41.04167°N 29.00556°E / 41.04167; 29.00556